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Friday – Week III – Advent
Readings: Isa 56:1-3a, 6-8; Jn. 5:33-36.
1/ Reading I: This is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice and do what is right, for my
salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does this—
the person who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”
3 Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say,
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and
who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for
my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.”
2/ Gospel:
33 “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.
INTRODUCTION OF THE THEME: Study the Bible to recognize and believe in God’s will.
God’s most precious gift to man is wisdom, and God wants people to use wisdom to reason, to recognize, and to do His will. The way human beings learn is to ask questions and to try in every way to find the answer. The two main sources of revelation that man must use to realize God’s will are through natural science and the Bible.
Today’s readings help people to read the Bible to find answers to human questions. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah told the people in advance of God’s plan of salvation. He not only freed and saved those who survived the exile, but also united Gentiles with God’s people, and saved all who sincerely studied, kept the Law, and acted according to what God taught. In the Gospels, when Jews ask Jesus how they can recognize Him as the Messiah sent by God, Jesus provides them with two answers. The first answer is John the Baptist. He was the one whose Bible said he would return before the Messiah to clear the way for God, and he himself bore witness to him. The second answer is what Jesus did before their eyes; these were also mentioned by the prophets about what would happen when the Messiah came: the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and the Gospel to be preached to all.
DEVELOP READINGS:
1/ Reading I: In addition to those who have been gathered, I will gather more with Israel.
1.1/ God had a plan for the remaining Israelites to return from exile: The prophets before the exile (Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Micah) foretold that exile would occur because the people did not worship God and obey His Law. However, God will not destroy them all; He would have saved the people left after the exile, but those recognized their sins, repented and asked God for forgiveness, and carefully kept the Laws he taught. Today’s account is in the Second Book of Isaiah, written to comfort and encourage the people living in exiles: “The Lord says the following: Keep righteous, practice the just, for My salvation is near, and My righteousness is about to be manifested. Blessed is he who does so, blessed is the mortal who holds this, who keeps the Sabbath without transgression, who does not give his hand to do wicked things.”
1.2/ God has a plan for the Gentiles: If one examines the Prophetic Books, he cannot ignore what the prophets keep repeating: the number of people returning from exile is not only Jews left, but Gentiles from all over who flock to Mount Sion and worship together in the Temple. In today’s account, Isaiah describes two main things God would do for Gentiles.
(1) Gentiles can also become servants of God: “Gentiles who attach themselves to God, to serve him and love his Holy Name, become his servants together.” The eternal temptation of man to avoid is two extremes. Those who have self-respect for only themself deserves God’s mercy and salvation like some Jews. Those who have self-deprecating attitude: “God must have separated me from his people.”
(2) Gentiles are also allowed to go to the Holy Mountain and pray in the House of God: “All those who keep the Sabbath without breaking it, and those who obey My covenant, are led by Me to the holy mountain and rejoice in My house of prayer. On My altar, I will receive burnt offerings and sacrifices, for My house will be called the prayer house of all nations.”
Thus, the prophet Isaiah and many other prophets foresaw and wrote clearly: “The oracle of God is God, who gathers the scattered Israelites: In addition to those who have been gathered, I will gather more with Israel.” After exile, God’s plan of salvation would be extended to all Gentiles, not only limited to the Jewish exiles.
Although foretold by the prophets of the Scripture, not all Jews knew and accepted Gentiles to be united with Jews as a single People of God. There were Jews who, while believing in the Book of Prophets, excluded the Gentiles and made them unworthy of joining and being saved.
2/ Gospel: “It is what I do that testifies to me that the Father sent me.”
Many Prophetic Books reveal the Messiah and what would come during his reign. If a person takes the trouble to spend time learning about the Messiah through the Prophetic Books, he will know who the Messiah is and will recognize him when He comes.
2.1/ John’s testimony: The prophet Isaiah spoke of John the Baptist’s ministry: “There is an announcement: “In the desert, open a path for the Lord, in the midst of the wilderness, draw a straight path for our God.” When John was questioned by the scribes and Pharisees about his ministry, he answered them frankly: he was the voice of the man who shouted in the desert, calling the people to prepare the way for the Messiah, just as the prophet Isaiah announced (Mt 3:17, Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4; John 1:23). In John’s account today, Jesus echoes this event: “It was you who sent him to see John, and he testified to the truth.”
John’s testimony needed to strengthen human confidence, for man needed witnesses; but Jesus said, “For my part, I do not need the testimony of a mortal, but I say these things so that you may be saved.”
2.2/ Testimony of God: Jesus said, “But for my part, I have a greater testimony than that of John: these are the things that the Father has entrusted me to accomplish; it is what I do that testifies to me that the Father sent me.” What are the things the Father entrusted to Jesus to accomplish? The first is his revelations and wise teachings to man, especially of God’s Plan of Salvation. The second is the miracles he performed for man, as the prophets announced what would happen in the Messiah’s reign (Isa 35:5-6; 42:7). Finally, there was the Passion, His death, and His glorious resurrection. When people witness some or all of these things, they must believe that Jesus is the Messiah, sent by the Father to save people. Again, all of this was foretold by the prophets.
APPLICATIONS IN LIFE:
– Let us use our wisdom to recognize God’s love and His plans in the world. Ask questions and sincerely find out the most authentic answers.
– The biggest threat to people today is misleading. Many groups, governments and devils use misleading to rule people. They believe that once people can no longer recognize the truth, they can say whatever they want to, and people will hear and follow them.